This worm arrives by connecting affected removable drives to a system. It may be unknowingly downloaded by a user while visiting malicious websites.
It drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.
Arrival Details
This worm arrives by connecting affected removable drives to a system.
It may be unknowingly downloaded by a user while visiting malicious websites.
Installation
This worm drops the following copies of itself into the affected system:
- %User Profile%\Application Data\{malware file name}
(Note: %User Profile% is the current user's profile folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name} on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name} on Windows Vista and 7.)
Autostart Technique
This worm adds the following registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Taskman = "%Application Data%\{random}.exe"
Propagation
This worm creates the following folders in all removable drives:
It drops the following copy(ies) of itself in all removable drives:
It drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.
The said .INF file contains the following strings:
[autorun]
{garbage}
shell\\open\\command=EDWARD\\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
action=Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer
{garbage}
Shell\\open\\command=EDWARD\\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
shellexecute=EDWARD\\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
shell\\explore\\command=EDWARD\\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
icon=SHELL32.dll,4
{garbage}
open=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
USEAUTOPLAY=1
{garbage}
Step 1
Before doing any scans, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 users must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of their computers.
Step 2
Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product and note files detected as WORM_RIMECUD.SMB
Step 3
Restart in Safe Mode
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To restart in Safe Mode:
• For Windows 2000 users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 when you see the Starting Windows bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Choose the Safe Mode option from the Windows Advanced Options menu then press Enter.
• For Windows XP users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 after the Power-On Self Test (POST) routine is done. If the Windows Advanced Options menu does not appear, try restarting then pressing F8 several times when the POST screen appears.
- Choose the Safe Mode option from the Windows Advanced Options menu then press Enter.
• For Windows Server 2003 users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 after Windows starts up. If the Windows Advanced Options menu does not appear, try restarting again and pressing F8 several times afterward.
- On the Windows Advanced Option menu, use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode then press Enter.
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7 users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 after the Power-On Self Test (POST) routine is done. If the Advanced Boot Options menu does not appear, try restarting and then pressing F8 several times after the POST screen is displayed.
- On the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to select the Safe Mode option, and then press Enter.
Step 4
Delete this registry value
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Important: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can lead to irreversible system malfunction. Please do this step only if you know how or you can ask assistance from your system administrator. Else, check this Microsoft article first before modifying your computer's registry.
- In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
- Taskman = %Application Data%\{random}.exe
To delete the registry value this malware created:
- Open Registry Editor. To do this, click Start>Run, type regedit in the text box provided, then press Enter.
- In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>CurrentVersion>Winlogon - In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
Taskman = %Application Data%\{random}.exe - Close Registry Editor.
Step 5
Search and delete these folders
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Please make sure you check the
Search Hidden Files and Folders checkbox in the More advanced options option to include all hidden folders in the search result.
EDWARD To delete malware/grayware/spyware folders:
- Right-click Start then click Search... or Find..., depending on the version of Windows you are running.
- In the Named input box, type:
- In the Look In drop-down list, select My Computer, then press Enter.
- Once located, select the folder then press SHIFT+DELETE to permanently delete the folder.
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the remaining folders:
Step 6
Search and delete AUTORUN.INF files created by WORM_RIMECUD.SMB that contain these strings
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[autorun]
{garbage}
shell\open\command=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
action=Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer
{garbage}
Shell\open\command=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
shellexecute=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
shell\explore\command=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
icon=SHELL32.dll,4
{garbage}
open=EDWARD\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
USEAUTOPLAY=1
{garbage}
To identify and delete AUTORUN.INF files created:
- Right-click the Start button then choose Search... or Find..., depending on the version of Windows you are running.
- In the Named input box, type:
AUTORUN.INF - In the Look in: drop-down list, select a drive, then press Enter.
- Select the file, then open using Notepad.
- Check if the following lines are present in the file:
[autorun]
{garbage}
shell\open\command=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
action=Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer
{garbage}
Shell\open\command=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
shellexecute=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
shell\explore\command=EDWARD\\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
icon=SHELL32.dll,4
{garbage}
open=EDWARD\stereolove.exe
{garbage}
USEAUTOPLAY=1
{garbage}
- If the lines are present, delete the file.
- Repeat steps 3 to 6 for the remaining AUTORUN.INF files in other remaining removable drives.
- Close Search Results.
Step 7
Search and delete the file detected as WORM_RIMECUD.SMB
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To search and delete the malware/grayware file:
- Right-click Start then click Search... or Find..., depending on the version of Windows you are running.
- In the Named input box, type the name(s) of the file(s) detected earlier.
- In the Look In drop-down list, select My Computer, then press Enter.
- Once located, select the file then press SHIFT+DELETE to permanently delete the file.
Step 8
Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as WORM_RIMECUD.SMB. If the detected files have already been cleaned, deleted, or quarantined by your Trend Micro product, no further step is required. You may opt to simply delete the quarantined files. Please check this Knowledge Base page for more information.
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